BATTLE MOUNTAIN, Nev. -- Winless at the track during the IMCA Modified point season despite having 8 top five finishes, Winnemucca’s Rodney Sweet completed a sweep of the final weekend of racing by pacing the final 27 laps to win Sunday afternoon’s annual Silver Cup race after starting fifth at Battle Mountain Raceway. Sweet also won the Amberson Memorial race at the track on Saturday night. Track champion Nick Ayers was able to take second from Heinz Woelki on lap 20 and finish second ahead of Randy Artz to give Battle Mountain residents 2nd and 3rd. Nevada state champion Bill Smith III battled back from a midrace crash to gain fourth. A former Ely star racing for the first time in four years, Cliff Hagan led the final 17 laps to win the 30 lap Pro Stock feature, but he ended up being disqualified when the other racers complained that he was using Hoosier tires. The win reverted to long time northern Nevada star Brian Thorp ahead of Cody Unger and Bill Phinney. Hagan had come from last in the 9 car field. Reno-Fernley racer Richard Scott also started last in his 30 lap modified mini win. He had the lead in 9 laps and he beat Elko’s Bobby Steensen and Winnemucca’s Lee Bosch.

The IMCA Modifieds had a 15 car field with Smith joining the action after racing in Fernley on Saturday night. Ward Amberson was in the Denny Robblee car for the weekend and he won heat 1 from fifth with a best lap of 18.42. Having repaired his car from a hard crash on Saturday night when he spun trying for the lead, Malon Gonzalez from Fallon came through the field for second ahead of N Ayers. A Friday night runnerup at his home track in Winnemucca and a Saturday night flip victim here, Chad Farstveet won heat 2 from fifth with a 18.60 best lap. Pole starter Woelki got second ahead of Sweet. The track had a unique dash on the weekend. Each driver paid $30 to enter and the winner took all the money. But, they raced five laps for one event and then inverted the field for another five laps. The races were added together to determine the money winner. Seven modifieds elected to participate and outside front row starter Sweet won the first five lap dash ahead of last starter Gonzalez and Frank Iturriaga, who has the former Ron Jones car that Amberson drove in 2004. The second five lapper was started single file and that limited passing with N Ayers the winner over Artz and Amberson. Sweet, Gonzalez and Iturriaga all passed one car in the second segment to share the money winnings, getting $70 each. The 30 lap feature had Woelki and N Ayers on the front row ahead of Jimmy Delaney and Smith. Sweet and Artz shared row 3. Woelki led the first 3 laps with Sweet quickly into second. Farstveet spun for a lap 2 yellow and Sweet took second on this restart. Sweet got underneath Woelki in turn 4 on lap 4 and he was out front for the rest of the race. N Ayers settled into third ahead of Smith and Delaney. After Scott Harding spun for a lap 7 yellow, Amberson raced into fifth on this restart. Amberson spun for the next caution on lap 11. Delaney was back to fifth and a crash between Farstveet and Dow Lazenby forced a lap 14 slowdown. Amberson spun on the restart for another yellow. Hard contact between Smith and N Ayers forced Smith to pit for repairs, but a caution for a failed water pump on the Gonzalez car allowed Smith to return on the lead lap. Sweet now led Woelki, N Ayers, Artz and Iturriaga. N Ayers got underneath Woelki for second on lap 20 and a lap later, contact between the two cost Woelki several spots as Artz raced into third ahead of Iturriaga and Delaney. Sweet was now 1/3 lap ahead of N Ayers. Lazenby’s day ended in a crash with Carol Eckert and Larry Rogers. A three wide battle for third cost Iturriaga as he crashed in turn 1 with Farstveet and Keith Greenwood. Sweet stayed out front for the three remaining laps to win ahead of N Ayers, Artz, Smith, Delaney, Farstveet, Woelki, Rogers, Greenwood and Amberson.

There were 9 Pro Stocks and Phinney won heat 1 from third with a best lap of 19.34. Hagan came from last for second ahead of Unger. Dave Wearin used an exciting outside groove pass to charge from third to the win in the final turn and straight in heat 2. Dale Updike spun at the finish but still claimed second ahead of B Thorp. Rodney Sample won the first dash over Unger and Phinney. Unger’s pass of Phinney in the second dash gave him the $120 dash win as he ran second to Wearin in the second dash. Reldon Hatch and Updike shared the front row for their 30 lap feature. Updike slowed dramatically on lap 1 and fell out. Hatch led two laps with Unger passing Marnie Thorp for second on lap 2. Hatch pushed high in turn 4 on lap 3 and lost the lead to Unger. Phinney came from fifth starting to third in five laps and he gained second when Hatch fell out on lap 10. Sample was now third over B Thorp, but Hagan passed both of them on the outside on lap 11. Hagan used another outside pass to take second from Phinney on lap 13 and the lead from Unger on lap 14. Wearin spun high in turn 4 for a lap 15 yellow flag. The final half of the 30 lapper ran caution free and Thorp passed Phinney for third on lap 20 and Unger for second on lap 22. Those ended up being moves for the win as the protests of the other racers led to Hagan being disqualified from his win. B Thorp moved up to the win ahead of Unger, Phinney, Sample, Wearin and M Thorp.

The late addition of Scott gave the modified minis a 9 car turnout. Scott arrived after the heat action. Dennis Pruitt won heat 1 from fourth with a 19.74 best lap as B Steensen ran second. Ken Knight came from last to win heat 2 with a best lap of 20.09 in the Fernley mount. Winnemucca’s Lee Bosch was second. Pruitt beat Chris Steensen and B Steensen in the first dash as Scott fell out with a flat tire. B Steensen beat C Steensen and Pruitt in the second so each shared the $40 prize. Tim Gardner and Bosch shared the front row for the 30 lapper. Double division racer Heinz Woelki pitted after spinning on lap 1 and Pruitt lost a lot of ground with his lap 2 spin. Gardner was in the Mike Wogan car from Winnemucca and he led the first 8 laps. B Steensen took second from Bosch on lap 2. Scott moved into fourth behind C Steensen on lap 4. Gardner ran off the end of the track in turn 1 for a yellow on lap 8 with B Steensen the new leader over Scott. Scott made short work of B Steensen on the restart as he passed him on the outside. C Steensen spun out of fourth and B Steensen settled into second over Bosch. Pruitt climbed back to third on lap 13, but spun for a lap 16 yellow flag. Pruitt crashed for a lap 18 yellow and new third place Knight was trying the bottom in his attempt to take second from B Steensen. B Steensen pushed high in turn 2 on lap 20 and Knight did race into second. Scott had opened a ¼ lap lead over Knight and he expanded the margin to 1/3 lap before Gardner crashed for a lap 26 yellow. On the restart, a tangle between Bosch and Gardner left Gardner spun and he was hit hard by Woelki. No one was injuried and Scott led the remaining four laps for the win. Knight lost second with a turn 4 spin on the final lap as B Steensen ran second ahead of Bosch, Knight and Pruitt. Trent Ayers car broke in his heat and he was a feature scratch.

RESULTS

Summary Modified Mini Dash 1-Dennis Pruitt, Chris Steensen, Bobby Steensen. Dash 2-B Steensen, C Steensen, Pruitt. Heat 1-Pruitt, B Steensen, Tim Gardner, Heinz Woelki. Heat 2-Ken Knight, Lee Bosch, C Steensen, Trent Ayers. Main-Richard Scott, B Steensen, Bosch, Knight, C Steensen, Gardner, Woelki, Pruitt. Pro Stock Dash 1-Rodney Sample, Cody Unger, Bill Phinney. Dash 2-Dave Wearin, Unger, Phinney. Heat 1-Phinney, Cliff Hagan, Unger, Sample, Reldon Hatch. Heat 2-Wearin, Dale Updike, Brian Thorp, Marnie Thorp. Main-B Thorp, Unger, Phinney, Sample, Wearin, M Thorp, Hatch, Updike. IMCA Modified Dash 1-Rodney Sweet, Malon Gonzalez, Frank Iturriaga, Larry Rogers, Ward Amberson. Dash 2-Nick Ayers, Randy Artz, Amberson, Iturriaga, Gonzalez. Main-Sweet, Ayers, Artz, Bill Smith III, Jimmy Delaney, Chad Farstveet, Heinz Woelki, Rogers, Keith Greenwood, Amberson, Iturriaga, Scott Harding, Carol Eckert, Dow Lazenby, Gonzalez.